Alkenes methoxyselenenylation

The mechanism of the asymmetric methoxyselenenylation of alkenes has been investigated using competition experiments and computational methods (Scheme 8). The experiments have demonstrated that the formation of the intermediate seleniranium ion (48) is reversible. Ions of type (49), generated in the addition of chiral selenium electrophiles to alkenes, are the key intermediates in the asymmetric methoxyselenenylation their stability is strongly dependent on the strength of the selenium-heteroatom interaction. Calculations have been carried out to determine the relative stabilities of the diastereoisomeric seleniranium ions (49). The results obtained from the calculations support the experimental flndings. ... 

Methoxyselenenylation of alkenes.1 This reaction can be effected by reaction of 1 with Br, in CH2C12 to form a red solid that is considered to be a selenenyl bromide. This intermediate reacts with an alkene in CH,OH to give a methoxy- denenylated alkene. The reaction with styrene gives only the Markovnikov product in a yield of 49% and 49% de. 

The behavior of the sulfate counter anion is noteworthy. A considerably important advantage in using sulfates is that the reactions can be effected at room temperature. From the data collected in Tables 1 and 2 it can be seen that in the methoxyselenenylation of alkenes the diastereomeric excesses thus obtained are comparable with those observed with other selenenylating agents,... 

The stereospecific conversion of cyclohexene into the corresponding amido selenide 54 is illustrated in Scheme 8. These amidoselenenylation reactions are commonly employed for the preparation of allylic and saturated amides by oxidative or reductive deselenenylation. Propionitrile, butyronitrile, benzonitrile and ethyl cyanoacetate may be used in place of acetonitrile. Styrene gave poor results and other electron-rich olefins such as 1-methylcyclohexene or 2,3-di-methylbut-2-ene did not give the amidoselenenylation products. The reaction can also be effected starting from the hydroxy- or methoxyselenenylation products of alkenes, in the presence of water and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid in this case the nitriles are used in stoichiometric amounts [48c]. This methodology was employed to prepare the amidoselenenylation products of styrene, 55, and of electron-rich olefins. It was necessary, however, to replace the phenyl-... 

The highest diastereoselectivity of asymmetric methoxyselenenylation of alkenes was achieved using the ferrocenylselenium triflates in excellent chemical yields [5gj. For example, the stoichiometric reaction of the chiral ferrocenylselenium triflate 41, prepared from the chiral diferrocenyl diselenide 2, with traus- -methylstyrene afforded the corresponding methoxyselenenylated product in high chemical yield with excellent diastereoselectivity (up to 98 % de). Fukuzawa and co-workers employed the diferrocenyl diselenide 2 for the catalytic asymmetric oxidation of, y-unsaturated esters and traus- -methylstyrene to the corresponding optically active allylic methyl ethers with moderate enantio-selectivity (Scheme 24) [27]. The allylic ethers were produced from 4-phenyl-3-butenoic acid esters in 70-78% yield with 17-22% ee. 

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